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4 THE NORTHERN STAR. Mabch 7, 1846.
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Tsoraas coo?Ba. - ca:^r s
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liOVAL FOLTTECUSIC INSTITCTIOS.—We WOuld Call
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the attention of railway companies, engi...
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I'tiE lNOKTHEKiN STAK. SATURDAY, ifAKCII 7, 1846.
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COMMERCE. THE STAPLE oFi'IIE COUNTRY. CO...
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THE STRUGGLE. The common law of the land...
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PA.B.LIA.MENTA1W REVIEW. The recent " gl...
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Transcript
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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4 The Northern Star. Mabch 7, 1846.
4 THE NORTHERN STAR . Mabch 7 , 1846 .
Tsoraas Coo?Ba. - Ca:^R S
Tsoraas coo ? Ba . - ca : ^ r s
Ad00419
WOKXS . THE PURGATORY OF SUICIDES . A Prison Rhyme . In Ten Books . ( O"neA "« L- . 7 s .-0 dO . « The most wonderful effoi t of intellectual power produced within the last eentury . "—The Britannia . , . " . Here we have a genuine poem springing out of the spirit of the times , and indeed out of the heart , and exerience- ' -f one who has wrestled with and mfferedin it . It is no other than a poem in ten books , by a Chartist , and who boldly sets his name and his profession oi Chartism on the title-page . It is plain that he glories in Sis political faith more than in his poetry ; nay , his verse is hut the vehicle of that faith . Yet , nevertheless , it is a vigorous an-J most efficient vehicle . We must cordially « oafess that * we have ve- i the whole with a feeling of unfeigned astonishment . * * * We ^ re by »« »« " surprised , having read his poetry , at the effect of ms eloquence on the people . It is that ofa soul full of thought full of hurnini ; zealfor liberty , and with a «~ men that most and will come into action . The man , s a 1 tone and sinew . * # * Ile appearsto haverevelhd l- history , ancient and modern . His .. cou . rements in this department arc quite amazing . * » " he tteadilv hold on in single-heartedness , there can bene oaestionthatlie has before him not only a certain and 2 « h reputation , but what is of for more consequence , aIvb * Jor ~ - a "al benefactor to his fellow countrymen of the million in their pursuit , of sound knowledge and sound liberty . "— Eclectic Review . "We hail the writer as a new power in the world of poctrv , the ruler of a new domain , as yet but little known , bnt which the public eannot fail to recognise , when its kvojs of thought shaU put on their singing robes , and with fresh voice and soul speak its praises to the world . " — Sentinel " The book possesses mind—mind which make itself felt and understood , and which , therefore , demands respect . —Atteiiatmi . "l ' are , religious , patriotic , he has not a line inimical to the great law of ^ regression . Men may read him as a preacherpoet . His lay is for all time . It will make the heart of the hopeful glow with a holy fire when he who penned it has passed from among men . As man strengthens in knowledge and love—as passion or prejudice expire—as reason gains and retains her mastery —will this high-souled man ' s work be increasingly reverenced and read . "—< 7 cnera { - -l ( ioerife < - r . " Well conceived—wrought out with no ordinary amount of power—clearly and concisely expressed . " — Hhm ' mated . Vaparine . " One of the most extraordinary littrary productions of the day—we may say of ike present age—a work which will gain for its author a reputation as lastinsr , if not as preat , as that of Byron , Spenser , and Milton . "—A ' en & ft Independent . "Intensity , passion , is his great characteristic ; and this will constitute the main source of his influence , and , unless we are much mistaken , will render the « Purgatory of Suicides' as popular in the political , as Pollock ' s Coarse of Time' in the religious , world . —Sotiingham Renttc . " One of the noblest creations of modern times , deeply impregnated with power and beauty , and glowing in every page with the illuminings of searching and passionate thought . He wields an intellcctof mighty power . "We shall not halt in asserting that in the catalogue of England ' s jrreatest bards roust hereafter be inseriWd the nameofTnoMis Coopee . "— Shefficldlris . " One of those rare works which ippear at but distant Intervals of time . It proclaims the author to be gifted with the spirit of poetry in thehighest degree . "— Leicester shire Mercury . "The whole work is one which must impress the reader with the conviction that Cooper , the Chartist , is a man of lofty genius , and must and trill be remembered vrith his land ' s language . "— Boston Herald .
Ad00420
WISE SAWS AND MODERN INSTANCES . ( Two Vols , las . ) "A series of Crabbe-like sketches , in prose . They are manifest portraits , and admonish us of the author ' s skill iu taking the literal likeness . " —Athenamm . " We have read some of these stories with deep interest , and few , we are persuaded , will rise from their perusal bnt with feelings all tbe warmer for what they have read . They can scarcely fail to be popular with the masses ; ' and , upon the whole , we think they deserve to be so . "—Atlas . ¦ "Theauthor ew-nses the sternness of his pictures by alleging their truth . The justification is all-sufficient . Chartist as these sketches are , they arc healthier , in t ** ne and sentiment , than the tawdry fictions vamped up for the reading public by some popular writers , that profess to exhibit the life of the labouring classes . "—The Britannia . 'Of a truth , this Chartist agitation has thrown to the surface no moreremarkable a man than Thomas Coopeb , and we much question if there be any one se fitted to represent the manufacturing- masses , to describe their wants , and expound their wishes , as he , —Kentish iiidcpendent . " WeU written and interesting . The stories contain some trae and painful pictures of the miserable condition of many of the poorest operatives , while others of them are of a humorous description . They cannot fail to be popular with the thinking and reading portion cf the working classes . "—Leicester Clronide . "Many of the stories exhibit considerable vigour of pencil , shrewd sense , and dear-sighted observation , accompanied with u kindly , genial feeling and toleration , we were not prepared for from so determined a politician . "—Gbxsgow Citizen . Also , just published , - THE BAHO . VS YULE FEAST . A Christmas Rhyme . In Four Cantos . ( One Vol ., 5 s . ) "There is a rough earnestness , both in its thoughts and verse , which is strictly in accordance with the genius of our ballad minstrelsy . If it does not show , in point of ability , an advance on the author ' s previous productions , it yet shows that be car . change his hand without Joss of power . "—The Britannia , "Mr . Cooper appears to much greater advantage in this seasonable poem than he did in his more ambitions attempt of " The Purgatory of Suicides . " " The Baron ' s Tule Feast" has a . genial spirit , various subjects , and a popular auitnatrd style . The poem is the best of Mr . Cooper ' s pro-luctions . "—S / tfdafor . " The most charming and fantastic feature in this little volume , with its right dainty title-page , i « the exuberance , and , sooUi to say . the npiiositeness of the different songs chaunted round the ingle in Torksey Hall . Thomas Cooper ' s heart seemsbrinimmg over with this spontaneous poetry . The book altoiretlier is an original : it is just ¦ suited for tin- winter ' s fireside , over a . posset and eur . is . " —Sun . " Let Cooper throw away his Chartist notions—and ¦ what has a porf to do with rude questions of politics , of Charters , and political faiths , creeds , and the like?—and he may take his place high up in the Temple of Fame , as one of England ' s greatest and truest-hearted poets . The mar . who can write such exquisitegems as tliislittle volume abounds with , may , and he will , carve out for himself a name as enduring as the language in which he pens the ' thoughts that breathe , and words that burn . ' Altogether , this is the best Christmas book wc have yet seen . "Leicester ( Tory ) Jour . ud . " We are happy to meet Mr . Cooper in this light department « f poetical labour , and to find that his muse can for a while lay aside her sternncss ^ and , ceasing to brood o ' er human wr . uigs , can yield to tfie impulses of tbe season , and sympathise with the kindlier emotions of social festivity . The poem More us proves how much the earlier efforts of the r .-jfhor were imbued with true poetic feeling . The notes exhibit a learning that is surprising when tbe ¦ writer ' s history is tak- n into account . And yet this selfacquired iearinng is but one of the manysingularfeatures that characterise the productions of this singularly gifted man , a poet of Nature ' s own making , whose extraordinary geniu- * cannot fail , ere Ions , to exhibit still higher manifestations of its powers sua versatility . "—Kentish Independent . "A clever fellow is our Thomas , the Chartist , full of rough common sense , and as much imagination as could possibly lind room in a head so crammed with the hard knotty prusauns of jioHtie' * . On the present occasion he has essayed , in his own peculiar way , a metrical story , which , although at times uncouth enough , is written Trith a heartiness that forms a pleasant relief to the nambv-pambv rlivroes of most of our poetasters who have SUtt !* of the moon aud stars above , and the streams with thellow . rs bjow , till ordinary folks are sick and tired of hearing of thtm . We have not for a long time met with x volume of poetry that we could read through with half as much pleasure . "— Cfnetoa ' f -Uterarii i . ' cgister . "Xot having seen the -Prison Hhynie . 'nor any of the poetic effusions of Mr . Cooper , we certainly were not prepared to find from his pen poetry of so high an order as the volume before us contains . The author of « Tbe Wise Saws' has written a Chrismas Rhyme , which bids fair to compete successfully with the best productions-of Bvron or Shelley , and which , without any great exaggeration , mightbe compared to the hitherto unequalled verses of John Milton . It is remarkable that every thought is clothed in j-oetic diction—ahnostevery line , taken apart , presents a poetic image ofsurpassingbeaoty . "—¦ Glasgow JSxamUer . Published by Jeremiah llow , 209 , Piccadilly .
Ad00417
To be ready next Monday , Price Is ., TWO ORATIONS , k GAINST TAKING AWAY HUMAN LIFE , under xL any Circumstances ; and ir . explanation and defence of the misrepresented doctrine of " Non-Resistance . " ( Delivmd in the National Hall . Holboni , on tbe evenings of February -3 lh and . March 4 th . ) UV TlIOJJAS CfOFER , THE CHABT 1 ST , ( Author of the - 'Purgatory of Suicides , " ic . )—Chapman , Brothers . 121 , Newgate-em et .
Ad00418
COALS . PRO VIDE FOR WINTER . PROYIUEXT . FAMILIES , sutecribingls . pMweokto the Mt-ti opolitan Coal Company's Shilling Club , can obtain four ball tons annually , without further charge , fines , kc . The Company ' s price cuirentis , Best Screened Walls-• ail , 25 s . per fuU ton ; Seconds , 21 s ., " 22 s ., and 23 s ; Coke , lis . Cd . Office , 'JT-Uiisli HoJborn .
Ad00412
¥ U 25 ERAL ECOiNOM j \ rflHE CEMhiLTtYand GENERAL M 7 AEBAL COM . 1 PAST , united with SHILLIBEER'S PATENT FONERAL CARRIAGES , respectfully invite public attenlion to theecononiicand convenicntarraiigeinentsforpertorminK every description of Funerals complete , atcharges so moderate as to defy coropetition . and no extras , by whiclt the comfort of bereaved families Will be materially promoted , and expenses limited . City-road , Finsbury , next Bunliiii-fields Hurial-ground ; 21 , Percy-street , Tottcnham-court-road ; and 131 ; , Union-street , Southwark . ShilUbeer ' s Patent Funeral Carriage , with two horses , £ 1 lis . Gd . ; Single Horse , £ 1 Is . A respectable Carriage Fun er-d , combining every charge , £ 4 4 s . Hearses and Mourning .. Coaches . Catholic Fittings . Four Horse Funerals . £ 12 lis .
Ad00411
A GOOD FIT WARRANTED . UBSDELL AND CO ., Tailors , are now making up a complete Suit of Superfine Black , any size , for £ 3 ; Superfine West of England Black , £ 3 10 s . ; and the very best Superfine Saxony , £ 5 , warranted not to spot or change colour . Juvenile Superfine Cloth Suits , 24 s . ; Liveries equally cheap—at the Great Western Emporium , Nos . 1 and 2 , Oxford-street , London ; the noted house for good black cloths , and patent made trousers . Gentlemen can choose the colour and quality of cloth from the largest stock in London . The artofcutting taught .
Ad00410
BOND'S PERMANENT MARKING INK . TIIE ORIGINAL , WITHOUT PREPARATION . For writing Initials , Names , or Ciphers , upon Linen , itc , for the purpose of Identity . THIS Composition unites every requisite , and is admitted to be the only article similarly used , the mark of which does not run in the wash , and which has given satisfaction to every purchaser , it being universally preferred forits fixity and neatness of impression . Prepared by the Inventor , John Iiond , chemist , 28 , Long-lane , West Smithfield , and sold by most stationers , isc . Price Is . per bottle .
Ad00409
G 0 LOSSEUM .-NOTICE .-PRICE OF ADMISSION DURING THE HOLIDAYS !! Hay Exhibition 2 s . Evening Do 2 s . 6 d . Children under Twelve Is . Stalactite Caverns Is . extra . 11 IIE DAY EXHIBITION consists of the Museum of Sculpture , Grand Picture of London , Alhamhra Conservatories , Gorgeous Gothic Aviary , Classic Kuins , Swiss Cottage and Mont Blanc , with Mountain Torrent , 4 c . & c . Open from Ten till Four o'Clock . EVENING . —The new and extraordinary Panorama of LojiDo . v bv Night , Museum of . Sculpture , Conservatories , and Gorgeous Gothic Aviary , < fcc , brilliantly illuminated ; Swiss Cottage , Mont Blanc , and Mountain Torrent represented by Moonlight . Open from Seven till a Quarterpast Ten o'Clock . A guano Okchest . ba Organ , en which the most admired Ovebtghes , & c ., are played , from Two to Four and from Eight till Half-past Ten o'Clock . s . The whole projected and designed k y Mr . William >¦ well .
Ad00408
ROYAL MAKYLEBOXE TREATHE . LESSEE , MB . JOHN DOUGLASS . FIRST Sight of a new drama , entitled the " Headsman ; or , the Gate of Terror . " First Night these two years of Mr . M . Howard . On Monday , and during the week , to commence with the " Headsman , " supported l-y the best company in London . To be followed by the force of " Drawn for the Militia , " m which Mr . T , Lee will perform . To conclude , on Monday and Friday , with the " Reever ' s Ransom . " Jock Mun , Mr . Neville . On Tuesday , Wednesday . Thursday , and Saturday , the " Minute Gun at Sea . " Tom Tough , Mr . John Douglass , who will introduce a new Flag Hornpipe , Rayner , Harrington , & c . ; Mesdames Campbell , Neville , & e . Messrs . Abel and Rayner , with their Wonderful Dogs , will appear on Monday next . Stage Manager , Mr . Neville . Boxes , 2 s .: Fit , Is . -. Gallery , Cd .
Ad00421
REDUCTION OF PRICES . TIIE Trials of the Fifty-nine CHAItTlSTS , published in Fight Parts , at Sevenpenee each , now ottered in complete sets , at One Shilling per set . The same done up in cloth , with portrait , title , & c , Two Shillings per copy . Portraits , which from time to time have been presented with the IforUtcrn Star , and latterly sold at One Shilling each , now offered at Threepence each : —Ilichard Oastler , Itobert Emmett , John Frost . John Collins , P . M . Mc'Douall , the Rev- J . R . Stephens . View of Monmouth Court Ilouse during the Trial of Frost , Williams , and Jones . The First Convention . Letters of F . O'Connor , Esq ., to Daniel O'Connell , Esq . Published at One Shilling each , offered at Fourpence . Price Fourpi nee , The Employer and Employed . By F . O'Connor , Esq . A few copies only of the latter remain on band , and , considering the very low price at which it was published , it is not likely to be reprinted . Those who wish to possess it had better make application to his bookseller or news-agent early , to prevent being disappointed . A . HEYWOOD having purchased the whole of the above stock from Mr . O'Connor , is anxious to clear them off as soon as possible ; and to enable him to do so , offers them at the very low prices enumerated above . Agents liberally treated with . The above may be had on application to any of the agents of the Star , or upon order through any bookseller in the country . Boofjsellers in the country arc requested to refer their London agent to apply for them to Mr . T . Watson , Paternoster-row ; or to Mr . J . Cleave , Shoe-lane , Fleet-street ; through whom they trill be supplied . Abel Heywood , 58 , Oldham-street , Manchester .
Ad00413
FARMING . Just published , a new Edition , neatly done up in cloth , price 2 s . 6 d ., on THE MANAGEMENT OF SMALL FASMS . By F . O'Cos . voa , Esq . Manchester : Abel Hey wood , SS . Oldham-street . London : J . Watson , St . Paul ' s-alley , Paternostcr-row ; and J . Cleave , Shoe-lane . Andmay be had of all booksellers and agents throughout the country .
Ad00414
EDUCATION . This day is published , demy 12 mo ., cloth , price Eighteenpence , THE NEW ETYMOLOGICAL EXPOSITOR , or Pronouncing Spelling Book ; containing a selection of Words commonly used by the best writers , with their pronunciation , derivation , & c . By William Hill . Much care and labour has been bestowed upon the above work , so as to make it the very best of its kind . Also , by tbe same Author , price Is ., the Rational School Grammar . Also , price Is ., the Companion to the Ratiou-: l School Grammar . Abel Heywood , 58 , Oldham-street , Manchester : London , J . Watson , Paternoster-ron- ; J . Cleave , Shoe-lane , Fleet-street ; and all booksellers .
Ad00415
Just published , by tbe Executive Committee , of the National Charter Association , Part I . of TirfE POIITICAL WORKS OF THOMAS PAINE I to be regularly continued until completed . This edition of the works of Paine has the merit of beiug the cheapest and neatest ever oficred to the public . It will consist of five parts , stitched in wrapper , at sixpence each ; aud will be embellished with a beautiful vignette of the author , engraved exclusively for this work . N . B . Orders executed by T . M . Wheeler , General Secretary ; and by the various Sub-secretaries throughout the country .
Lioval Folttecusic Institctios.—We Would Call
liOVAL FOLTTECUSIC INSTITCTIOS . —We WOuld Call
The Attention Of Railway Companies, Engi...
the attention of railway companies , engineers , & c ., to a very beautiful contrivance , which is now exhibiting at the above most useful establishment , and for which a patent has been granted to a Mr . Coleman , of America . This model is for the purpose of proving that locomotives c .-in be so constructed as to ascend and descend inclined plains on rattwajs - , thus completely dispensing with deep cuttings , and that , too , without the aid of a stationary engine , or any of the contrivances at present resorted to . Thus a considerable saving in outlay is effected , amounting , in some instances , to Jtir , 0 , 000 per mile . The arrangement consists merely ofa number of horizontal rollers being placed "between the rails up the gradient ; an Archemcdian screw is placed underneath , and travels with the locomotive ; when running upon a level plain
the screw is at rest , and the power of the engine is exerted , as in ordinary cases , merely by the adhesion of the driving-wheels to the rails ; but the moment it arrives at the foot of tbe gradient the driving-wheels are lifted off the rails , and the whole power of the steam is exerted upon the screw , the thread of which is made to pass between the rollers , thus enabling the engine to ascend any gradient , no matter how steep . The model is made on a large scale , therails being about seventy feet long , and takes the form of au irregular curved arch , some parts of which consist of gradients rising one in ten , or 800 feet per mile . Yet with this fearful inclination , the little locomotive ascends and descends , drawing one or two passengers , with apparent case . The arrangements certaisVy do great credit to the inventor , and we trust that he will meet with such reward as tbe invention bids fair
to ensure . Sdi-posed Murder . —The quiet village of Coniscliffe , in a retired part of the county of Durham , was thrown into a state of considerable alarm a few days a £ 0 , % a . person having been found in the parish , supposed to have been robbed , and nearly dead from Wows he had received on the head and face , apparently inflicted with some heavy weapon . On searching him , however , no property was missing , and after Jbciug wanned he rallied a good deal , and intimated , in reply to questions put to him , that his
name was Lawson ; that he had been at Staindrop , collecting some bills for a gentleman at Darlington , and that . in Ids road home on the preceding night , near a pku'e called Alronaly , a man rushed out of the hedge and knocked him down . His senses then left him , and , when he spoke next , he said he thought there were thn wmen came to him . but nothing could be got from h . ' ni in any shape likely to lead to the apprehension of the perpetrators of the crime . Medical assistance \ 'as procured as soon as possible , hut it was of no avail , and he died in the course of a few hours afterwards .
The Attention Of Railway Companies, Engi...
Frost , Williams , and Jonks . —It is but justice to the Executive to state that they have waited upon many members of Parliament with reference to the liberation of Frost , Williams , and Jones , and that the promise of support has surpassed their most . sanguine expectation . Lord John Russell even , although refusing his -vote , says that it is only upon the ground that he thinks it a question for Government , and not for the House of Commons . The debate will assuredly come on next Tuesday ; and , therefore , the readers of the Star mayexpect a full report , with a list of the division , in next week ' s Star .
Exiles' Restoratiox Committee . —All Trades' bodies and individuals holding petitions for the release ol Frost , Williams , and Jones , are requested io forward them to their destinations by Monday next , as Mr . Duncombe brings forward his motion ou Tuesday , the 10 th inst . —T . M . Wheeler , Sec . The Executive asd the Cosve . mio . v . — Wc arc authorised to state , that while the Executive heartily concurs in the propriety of the proposed Convention , that , nevertheless , they felt themselves bound , according to the laws of thesi . cioty , to give notice of tho annual Convention . We state this , lest it may be supposed that the one may
render the other unnecessary ; in iact , if the Executive was bound to call a Convention on the l'Jth of April , and if circumstances made it necessary to call a Convention on the 12 th , which they have the power to do , it would be their duty to do so . As letters are constantly addressed to our office for Mr . Ardill , and Mr . Hobson , we heg to state that neither of those gentlemen reside in London , Mr , Hobson ' s address is , 3 , Market-walk , Huddersfield .
Mr . Ardill ' s is , Burley-erescent , near Leeds . Mr . Harney informs us , that he is put to much trouble in consequence of orders for the paper being inclosed in those for the editor , and requests that the practice may be discontinued . Mr . Harney has quite enough to < lo in his own . department without being troubled with the business ol the paper . We have also to request that those persons sending orders for the Star , will be good enough to send them distinct , and not mixed with the Land money .
I'Tie Lnokthekin Stak. Saturday, Ifakcii 7, 1846.
I ' tiE lNOKTHEKiN STAK . SATURDAY , ifAKCII 7 , 1846 .
Commerce. The Staple Ofi'iie Country. Co...
COMMERCE . THE STAPLE oFi'IIE COUNTRY . COMPARATIVE CONDITION OF NATURAL AND ARTIFCIAL LABOURERS . The sophist will argue against logic , against reason , and against facts , substituting piirables , and hypotheses for premises , and whimsical conclusions , for legitimate deductions . Hence , we find that religious controversies between two sects , separated by the most slender ties , always give rise to tiie most angry discussion , because they are not susceptible of logical , or even reasonable proof . Upon the very same principle , the battle of free trade lias been invariably fought . Facts have been assumed , and conclusions have been jumped at , without other
argument than " you ' re a Tory , " " ' re a monopolist , " " you ' re a spy ; " "What ! would you starve the people ? " "The meeting is ours , called to adopt conclusions , not to arrive at them by discussion . " And , perhaps , one of the most -violent assumptions arrived at by this one-sided mode of controversy is , the false impression created by the League lecturers as to the superior condition of the manufacturing operative compared with the agricultural serf . It is well , however , that if competitive commerce denies to the artificial slave the power of calculating lor himself , that there are yet some who are ready , will , ing , and able to supply the want .
It is not long since tiie operatives of this country became acquainted with the use of figures , and begun to use them as a means of calculating proiit and loss ; and as they arc " now partially instructed in the science of arithmetic , . we shall proceed to give a full , complete , and irrefutable answer to the assumption that operatives are better off than agricultural labourers , and we shall dispel the fallacy that they are better paid . In all the transactions of life , whether it be in tenure , in insurance , or in purchasing annuities , the whole of life , with all its collateral
contingencies , is taken into minute calculation ; and as we see no reason why the poor should be denied a practice which regulates the transactions of the rich , wc shall take the whole of life of our respective clients into our calculation , and we shall thdfeeby be enabled to show the immeasurable , the incalculable advantages that the slow-plodding agricultural labourer , employed at even and healthy occupation , has over the goaded operative , ridden with the spur of machinery and the lash of capital , in hisULOOD-1 ULN through life .
Wc shall , firstly , proceed with an analysis so simple that all who run may read , and with that view shall here state the respective cases of our respective clients . Our brief is an extract from a public paper , and stands thus : — Popolab Health . —The mean term of life stands respoctively thus : — "Tbe highest is the south-western counties in the following order : —Sussex , 55 ; Hants , a !>; Dorset , 55 ; Devon , 5 C ; Cornwall , 55 ; the decrement in the last case is caused by the shorter lives ot the miners . The county of Lancaster has a mean of 8 ( i—the lowest coustv . Human life in Devon is , ou the average , thtvelore , 20 years longer than iu Lancashire . "
We shall commence with the life of a manufacturing operative ; and allowing him from the age of 15 to 30 , the mean of life , to have earned at the rate of 15 s . a-week during the whole period , without strike , dismissal , or deduction , wc find that he will have earned in that time— £ s . d . Wages Sill 0 U Deduct for extra rent of house over agricultural labourer , Is . per week 51 12 0
Nett wages X 70 i S 0 ACRlCULTUItiL LABOUBEli . SH 5555 ? From 10 to 15 at os . per week 5 L » 0 0 " 15 " 18 " 7 s . " 51 la 0 « 18 " 50 " 10 s . " !) S 8 0 0 Additional wages for 10 weeks , during hay time and harvest , 10 s . pur week ... 190 0 0 £ VJSt 12 0 Deduct operative ' s wages during working life 761 8 0 Balance in favour of agriculturallabouror ... £ 520 i 0
Now , we will divide the working liltof the operative , twenty-one years , into the £ o ' 20 ami we find that it will leave within a fraction of £ 25 a year , or nearly 10 s . a week ; thereby showing that , to be upon an equality with the agricultural labourer , the operative should have had £ 15 s . per week for his working life . Now , that is taking tho most advantageous view for the factory operative . It is allowing him to work uninterruptedly for twenty-one years , without a single bating , fine , dismissal , or deduction of any sort . We have set a figure for the man-ufactnring operative which his class cannot realise ; we have
set a figure for the agricultural labourer much below what his class can realise . This is the mere arithmetical view of the question , and must stand as an answer to the general principle . If tho Dorsetshire serf is paraded , we go to the 800 , 000 handloom weavers , with 2 s . OJd . per week . Nay , we go to the best paid hands for the average . If the wages of overseers ave taken into the calculation , * wc resort to stewards , bailiffs , head gardeners , first coachmen , house stewards , butlers , footmen , cooks , aye , down to the meanest scullion in Devonshire , and we prove our case thus : —
Lancashire has a population of ljCCi . OIH , and has £ 1 , 080 , 113 deposited in its several savings' banks . Devon , shire has a populatbmn of 530 , 781 , and has £ 1 , 402 , 07-2 deposited in its several savings' banks . There are ( 15 , 402 depositors in Lancashire , with its immense population ; and 40 , 800 depositors iu Devonshire , with its scanty po-iukition . So that about 1 in KlJ in Devonshire is a depositor , while in Lancashire it is about 1 in 25 i . The population of Lancashire is 1 , 133 , 333 more than Devonshire , while the deposits of Lancashire only exceed those of Devonshire by £ -188 , 071 . Wc now take the far-famed Dorsetshire .
Dorsetshire has a population of 174 , 743 , and has 11 , 470 depositors , and £ 412 , 028 deposited ; or , one in fifteen is a dejiosi-or . Dorsetshire has less than one-ninth of the populali of Lancashire , so that Lancashire , with hei" tall
proud chimneys , and her roaring trade and high wages , to be equal in wealth with the crack County for the League , should have deposited £ 3 , 713 , 052 . Now , who will undertake to answer these arithmetical facts . Shall w * be tbhUhat the depositors in Dorsetshire are servants and gamekeepers : if so , we answer , give us servants and gamekeepers in preference to starved operatives and beggarly shopkeepers . But we will not allow the fallacy to exist . If servants and gamekeepers do constitute a large portion of depositors in Dorsetshire , shopkeepers , overseers , servants , and small masters constitute a large majority of the depositors in Lancashire . We have now stated the cases of our respective clients , aud we ask them whether they see just
cause for amalgamating into the thirty-six years standard of life , with all the boasted advantages paraded in its behalf ? We now enter upon the consideration of man ' s feelings , man ' s hope , man ' s selfrespect , man's inducement to action . We prefer the village church to the manufacturing pot-house ; we prefer the village parson , with all the prejudices of his education , to the ignorant upstart steam-lord ; wo prefer the wholesome provisions of the agricultural labourer tu the pawed refuse purchased by the operative slave . And be it remembered , that we have made no calculation of the spot of ground , even
although it were but six perches , occupied by the majority of the agricultural labourers , while the manufacturing operative seldom sees a green field . But these are mere calculations of comparative luxuries ; we come to health , to mind , to moral influences , to old age and its feelings . Which is the most healthy—let those who have seen the hay field and the corn field at siin-set , and those who have seen the back slums of manufacturing towns , with their squalid emaciated figures , tottering their way to the loathsome home by expiring gas-light , answer the question . Which is most easy—tiiat work which is regulated by man ' s capability of endurance , or that in which
hundreds and thousands , of different strength and different temperament , are lashed to equal time and spurred to quickstep pace ? Which has the most moral influence over his growing family—the man who sees them every night , and from morning till night , or the man who never sees them but on Sunday , and seldom then ? The man to whom his children look up , as an . example , a monitor , and a guide , ov the nvan - whoso jurisdiction is thrown off when youth is able to earn for itself ? But in old age—if life is liberty , and if liberty is but the fullest enjoyment of life—which is younger , and still most able to work—the Devonshire labourer at fifty-six or the Lancashire opera : ive at thirty-six ?
But suppose that both take leave of active life at those respective periods , who is most capable of enjoying the residue of his term—the healthy countryman , or the chronic , nervous , broken-down , used-up slave ? The same comparison holds that exists between the sleek , fat , plough-horse at twenty , who has drudged through lite at slow pace , and the sweated , physicked , excited race-horse , who has done his work at six years old , in his-BLOOD-run through life-Again , look at the danger to which the men arc respectively exposed ; and who will say that the life of the agricultural labourer is not in every way
preferable to that of the artificial slave . We have made no allowance for the extra value of agricultural youth , from ten to eighteen years of age , when they are for the most part fed , and get extra wages , in hay-time and harvest . We have made no allowance for the job-work ; whereas , G'obbetthas well observed , "that the father finds proiit and relief in a sheaf that lias been here and there cut outof his way by an infant . " In plashing and breasting hedges , in making faggots , in weeding , aye , even in threshing and in reaping , and in all work done by the job , the children from six years upwards can lend a helping and not unhealtliv
hand . In lead mines , and other dangerous service , men have increased pay in consequence of the danger of their occupation—the operative has none . The miners actually court the risks and dangers to which they are liable , because they prevent the competition of thoso who would otherwise glut their market . If a post-horse runs his stage , he has performed his day ' s work ; if the i-ace-horce ^ r ' uns his race , he has performed his ; if the bargeman must work as hard to serve a tide as he would otherwise be compelled to work by the day , he would cam as much money by
the job as for the day ' s work . This , then , is our case ; the manufacturing operatives run a dangerous "blood-run" through life ; their web is spun at lin age of thirty-six years , ami they are entitled to the same amount of wages up to that period that the man at healthier employment can earn during his working life . And in conclusion , we say to the League , if Dorsetshire has furnished you with claptrap arguments , and if you offer your system as a substitute , how comes it that what you plunder from your labourers enables you to purchase the property of those you call tyrants ? How comes it that your
slaves are " used up" at thirty-eight , while the slaves of Dorsetshire arc vigorous at fifty-six ? Howcomes it that landlords are in debt , while yon arc looking to capricious speculation for the investment of your profits upon labour ? How comes it that ymi are obliged to legislate to avert a famine which your own cupidity has produced ? Wc will answer . It is because , while land has been from time to time subdued to man's wants and national requirements , there is no law , but your caprice , to regulate the profits upon commerce—the new staple of the country ; and , to correct the anomaly , ' we must commence with a tbx nouns' bill .
The Struggle. The Common Law Of The Land...
THE STRUGGLE . The common law of the land is based upon custom , and what apathy or indin ' evencc sanctions for a time , tyranny sanctities as law when it serves its purpose . Tho common law of a country is supposed from time to time to have receivul the acquiescence oi public opinion .,. It is the lex non scripta , or unwritten law , and so far differs from the lex scripta , or written law , that the people themselves can alter , amend , or
abrogate it . Its correction vequ ires no appeal to the constituted authorities , or to the representative government of the country . True , searching scrutiny may limit the severity of statute law , as is amply proved by the fact , that although the laws of treason and sedition stand comparatively unaltered in the statute-book now , as compared with fifty years ago , yet has public opinion within that period considerably fettered those legal fictions , those legal monsters .
• Notonlycan public opinion establish the common law or custom of the country , but , if well directed , Parliament itself is compelled to frame its statute law in compliance with Its bidding . It is because we now sco a favourable opportunity for bringing the mind of the country to bear upon the representation of the country , that we are thus minute in analysing its power , and developing its mode of action . We have long struggled to marshal the non-elective influence against the electoral power . Those who , under the Reform Bill , could obtain the
franchise , have been deterred by the capricious and whimsical restrictions with which the measure is encumbered—so much so , that Mr . Attwood declared that the franchise of Birmingham was a £ 30 , and and not , a £ 10 franchise . We can scarcely blame an over-taxed people for not compl ying with all tiie rigid provisions of the Reform Bill , whiile wc can , and do complain of the apathy of those who suffer from its harshness . Having said so much upon the effect that tho non-elective influence may produce we now turn to the consideration of its pioper direction .
The STRUGGLE is a term -which constituted much of the charge against us at Lancaster , and yet , if its use is necessary to denote the coming times , we do not shrink from its application . That the struggle is at hand , wc must naturally infer from the declaration of Mr . CoMiex , iu answer to Lord G-kom-k Bextincu ' s threat of persevering resistance to the government measure . Mr . Uohden said , if the measure is defeated elsewhere ,
"WE WILL GO BACK TO THE COUNTRY . " This is the warning voice , this denotes the coming struggle ; and , as we anticipated such a course before
The Struggle. The Common Law Of The Land...
the gauntlet was thrown down , we invited the people to be ready for the contest . If Mr . G ' obdeh is allowed uninterrupted possession of the platform , and if he is able to marshal the non-eleetive influence in behalf of THE BILL , AND NOTHING IiVT THE BILL ; if ho is allowed tocircumscribe the national mind within tiie narrow limits of party requirement ; if he is permitted to court tho gazing eye of the
hungry by the parade of a large cheap loaf , without directing attention to the altered means of purchasing the-article ; if we permit him , in conjunction with the Whigs , to use the non-elective influence as an instrument . , tctonsfcr power from the already alarmed Protectionists to the already branded IViiigs , we would , if we were silent , he justly chargeable with all the horrors of another seven years ' crusade against labour .
The people , for want of union , For want of energy , for want of honest leaders , have ever been compelled to fight under false colours , to rally under adverse banners . Nor can we blame them . For want ot something distinct , they were obliged to accept what appeared to he most threatening and offensive to their greatest opponents . Hence , we find that the battle of Reform was fought upon the demerits of offensive Toryism , rather than upon the merits of its antagonist , Whiggery . While we thank the people o ' Dewshury , the people of Derby , the people of Halifax , and of many other places , for their ready
acquiescence in , and determination to support , the policy o calling together an incorruptible representation ol the labour-classes during the threatened struggle , wc feel ourselves Bound to satisfy our Stockport friends , wiio do not object to the policy , but merely require further elucidation of the object . If our announcement of last week has failed to convince any portion of the Chartist bsdy of the necessity of the step , we imagine that there is not one who has since read the threat of Mr . Coudes , who will not jjive us credit for having anticipated the tactics of the League .
We now proceed to satisfy the inquiries of our Stockport friends , the very men whose suspicions should be first aroused by the declaration of THEIR OWN REPRESENTATIVE . Wc will suppose , then , that the Government measure is so damaged in committee as to make it unpalatable to the Whigs and the League—to the League as a ' means of trade , and to the Whigs as a means of achieving power ; or that , it should be thrown out by the Lords , or so damaged in committee by the Lords as to justify Sir Robekt Peel in rejecting the adoption of his deformed child . And in any of those cases we will suppose an energetic , an active , nay , a revolutionary appeal to the people ; we will suppose Messrs . Coijden and Bright , with their staff of free trade
lecturers , and an unlimited use of League funds , traversing the country on behalf , not only of free trade principles , but of A FREE TRADE GOVERNMENT ; and suppose the Chartist body , left without head or front , without advice or council , without leaders or directing power ; can we come to any other conclusion than that the disorganised , unfraternised multitude would attach themselves to the most vigorous agitation ; and then , when they had committed suicide , in the hour of reflection , and when suffering martyrdom , would they not justly denounce , reviie , and execrate their false and timid leaders , who had abandoned them in the hour ot need , and left them an easy prey to the wiles and machinations of interested , ARTFUL , AND
DESIGNING MEN ? What would be our own feelings in such a case ? What would be the feelingsof the Executive ? What would be the feelings of the Manchester Council , and of the Chartist staff , whose indomitable perseverance and courage has kept the untarnished Chartist flag flying , in the face of persecution , in the worst of times ? What , we ask , would those pioneers ami hei'OOS say , if the apathy of their leaders competed them to strike their colours at the biddiug of thuii enemies ? Whether shall we , " pull down Getter ' s hat , or worship it ? Whether shall wc struggle ,
EVEN TO TIIE DEATH , or preserve a miserable existence , measured by our own apathy and the caprice of our new tyrants ? Such would be precisely our position were we to allow the League sole and uninterrupted possession of the field of agitation . Duxcombk recommended , and the people cheerfully and unanimously adoptid , the policy of keeping the Chartist body distinct , separate , and apart from ah others ; rallying under their own staudard , | struggling for their own principles , and fighting under their own leaders . Fur what was Chartism originated ? For what have Chartists suffered ? Why has the home become desolate ? Why does the tear fall ovei
the grave ol a IIoluerut , a Llaytox , a Ditey , and a Shell ? Why does the longing mind pant for the restoration oPFnosT , Williams , and Joxes ? What is to become of oursongs , our mottoes , our hymns , outrhymes , and our apophthegms ? Are all to be buried in one narrow , unhonourcd grave , and arc we to dig that grave ourselves ? Arc tln-y to be sacrificed to a faction against whose tyranny they have so Ion : ; struggled , and to destroy whose monopoly they were established ? The infant will lisp " No ! " the aged veteran will falter " Never ' . "—the factory girl will sing her note of freedom , the clog of the factory boy will beat time to the song of liberty , but none will lisp SURRENDER , or even COMPROMISE , so long as their leaders are true to diem .
Docs the Charter mean free trade , and nothing more ; if so , abandon it , and range yourselves undei the bloody standard of Maltiius and political economy . If so , study the art of infant killing , ol pinching , of screwing , of starving , that others may fatten upon the land ' s disease ; but when the epidemic rages , then blame yourselves : but if your leaders desert you , or are even lukewarm , then blame them , and curse the hour you honoured them with your confidence . Look on that picture , and on this . If Chartism means more than free trade—i ' Chartism means " a fair day ' s wages for a fair day ' i ivork "—if Chartism means " more- pigs and less parsons "—if Chartism means " that as labour is the source of wealth , labour should also be the source oi
power '—it Chartism means " the full development oj our national resources , and the EQUITABLE , not EQ , 1 j AL , distribution of thou * , resources "—if Chartism means " equality under the law , and equal protection for tin life , the . liberty , undllie properly , of the poor and the rich "—if Chartism means " No Poor Laws , because no paupers— " no church thai is not stqnwned by those who worship at its altar "— " no drones liviiut upon tiie honey of the bees "—no taxation uithoiu representation "— " 110 punislMMt without crime" — il Chartism means that " all the stag ' c die ivurkt ! «¦¦• •• made for a ' efolk of ' e wurld , and tfu . it those who produce itliave a title to their share ; " look on this picture ! If a struggle should come for political power
between the landed aristocracy and the aristocracy of capital ; and if labour is ihe only spoil for which the eonvb-itauts can tight , whether labour silent , labour apathetic , and labour inactive , or labour energetic , argumentative , and active , have the best chance in the struggle ; and whether , if her cau-c would be bettor developed and supported if left to the mercy of mere sectional agitation , or committed to the care of organised representation . Six hours would take the fiat of a Convention to Manchesterten to Newcastle—and thus every member aud every limb would receive strength , vitality , and suppleness from the national heart ' a-bloou , made up of the several tributary stream , ( lowing from all parts ol the land , with a press vieiug to do us justice , from self-interest , but that would be silent unon our
sectional movement , ihe provincial press will not report us except through the London journals . Our meetings , without a controlling head , sitting in the metropolis , are derided as the feeble efforts of ARTFUL AND DESIGNING MEN . wIiileanieroscaUoring of free traders is magnified into national opinion . As to the expense , if the Charter is not worth that , aud more , and if the people are not prepared to pay the amount , then give it up . If this is the ransom to save us from the horrors of a seven years' coalition Ministry , who would not give up a meal in two , five shirts in six , or anything that he could spare , mthei
The Struggle. The Common Law Of The Land...
than encounter such a . national disgrace , such a political retreat , such a social malady . If DiwcoMBB is to take the field , Duxcombe must have liis staff— a staff that will not desert him . Ilig head will * keep discussion within bounds ; his heart will i rompt him to carry out the wise resolves of Labour ' s Parliament ; the country will rally round his standard ; and they shall have no government , when they break up the present , in which Labour shall not have a champion—no House of Commons in which Labour shall not have its 2 * epresetitative Couubn has said , " We'll go back to the country ; ' * wc answer , " We ' re there already , and we'll stay there , " Chartists of England , of Ireland , and of Scotland , the hour cometh when Labour expecta every man to do his duty .
Hurrah ! then , for Duxcombe , for Labour , and the Convention , and—O—X THE EXPEXSE !
Pa.B.Lia.Menta1w Review. The Recent " Gl...
PA . B . LIA . MENTA 1 W REVIEW . The recent " glorious victories" in India occupied tbe attention of both Houses of Parliament on . Monday night , in the shape of a vote of thanks to the Governor-General , the Commander-in-Chief , and the oih ' cers and soldiers engaged in the sanguinary battles on the Suthj . The vote was proposed by Lord Kipom in the Peers , and by Sir It . 1 \* . el in the Commons Each of them entered at great length into a narrative of the preceding circumstances out of which tho conflict arose , and of tae details connected with it . A high dram .. tic and domestic interest was imparted to buth of the speeches by the introduction of private
letters from Sir II . Umidisgb , describing the nighfc previous to the final struggle , which ended in driving the Sikhs acioss the boundary river . The Governor-General had all his aides-de-camp killed and wounded bin one , and that one his own son , a boy of about sixteen years of age , upon whom devolved the entire duty of conveying ltis lather ' s orders to different parts of the field of battle -, a duty which wc are told was nobly performed . Another son , the amputation of whose foot , a few years since , prevented his serving in a military capacity , was also with hira ; but was reluctantly compelled by the coini . 'iand of . his father , who felt that his presence disturbed kirn , to retire to the rear .
li . e introduction of such details , striking and affecting as they arc , only bring out more forcibly the horrors and the misery of war . One cannot help sympatJiiaing with Sir H . Hamhsge , in his double capacity of general and lather ; but the very fact of his being brought before us in the latter capacity , carries the mind involuntarily to the consideration of the domestic tics which have been ruthlessly and lor ever snapt asunder by this terrible battle . Amidst the tiring of cannon , the ringing of bells , and Parliamentary thanks , we cannot help reverting to the desolate hearths and mournful homes it has caused .
ilow many more " little Arthurs were on the field that day , around whom a father ' s affections clung , as strongly as did those of the Governor-General himself round his lame son , whose presence disturbed him 1 Yet the slaughter of sons , and brothers , and ' " atliers , and the consequent rupture of the manifold ties growing out of thecu relations , excites neither
comment nor regret . The latter feeling is coviliral to the " Corinthian capital" of the army . The Sales , the M'Caskills , and Bito . ini'oois , are individually singled out and sorrowed over ; but the 4 W- ) rank aitd file who fell on that bloody field , are dismirsed aa summarily as if they had been so much human vermin , who had never known the "touching charities of litV ' jior left behind them any to Mourn for their loss !
Instead ot regretting this slaughter , or the necessity for it—if necessary it was—Sir it , Jsoiis , that incarnation of orthodoxy , begged the house particularly to remember , in the midst of its rejoicings , tliafc the victory was owing to the Almighty alone ; as if war aud bloodshed were sacrifices of a swiet-ji' -eliins ; savour to that Being who "has made of one blood all nations that dwell on the face of the earth ' . " Tyrants may consider it necessary in thu present ; state of society , and especially of India , that such , horrible destruction of life should be committed , ; but , at all events , let us talk of it as a iHM ' tsny to be regretted , and as speedily as possible emied— , not as a matter to plume ourselves upon , or which has the sanction of Christianity .
An important topic was brought under the consideration of the Ilouse of Lords on Tuesday night , by the -Marquis of L-ixsnowxE , who presented a pctitio : i from the principal inhabitants of Van Dieinan ' -j Land , complaiiiimj of the many grievances to which , tliey arc subjected in consequence of the wliolesg ' e importation of convicts into that colony . The petition gave an appalling account of the financial , social , and moral condition of the colony , under tJio infliction of this moral pestilence , and declared that unless it was abated , every man would be obliged to leave the country who had the least regard to tho higher considerations of life .
Lord St . vni . ey , the late Colonial Secretary , while admitting most of these allegations , contrived to pick a personal quarrel out of the subject wir . ii his old friends the Whigs , whom he accused of being the authors of the mischief , by certain alterations they made in the system in operation up to IS-10 . He appeared to sustain this attack well enough by facts ' , but this style of meeting a great grievance , though exciting , is by no means satisfactory . We do not want to know who originated an evil so much as how to get rid of it , and had Lord Stanley eoiu . ied himself to the description of his own eifows to
improve our system ot transportation , he would have more truly exhibited the mind of a statesman—to which name we have no doubt he aspires , but he must greatly curb the petulance and headlong rashness of his nature ere he achieve * it . One of his observations is , how-aver , worth notice . He stid , and truly , that the question involved matters of much higher interest than the fate of that , or of all ou colonics . It involved the revision of our whole system of secondary punishment ; and he was vhH 'Che intelligence of the age will not much longer permit of our emptying out upon the shores ot an
island so richly blessed by nature as Van Dieman ' s Land , the dregs of our population at the rate of 5 . U 0 O male convicts annually , and then leaving them in such a position , that the evil passions and interior > : abits they have acquired arc allowed to fester , -unl > pread , and grow worse by their mere aggregation into masses termed " gangs , " without that surveillance , mural ' restraint , or elevating influence which such moral Pariahs require . Earl Gbev ( Howick ) made some sensible remarks on this subject , ami suggested some amendments , which at first Mgh ' t
appear not only feasible , but highly conducive to the permanent improvement and well-being of the oilen-Jew ngnii'gt tiie laws in the first instance , which ought to be the object of all criminal legislation , arid also to the beneficial re-action upon this country of such a humane anil enlightened method ot treating those whose errors are at lea . t as much ascribable to the neglect and maltreatment oi society as their own aberrant natures . As the question will , however , undergo a more scareUiug uwe ^& iion , we shall reve rt to it again .
The nckctty " Reform Bill" has incidentally undergone an overhauling in a discussion uuou the wholesale IliamifitCtlire olihwy-ghillitig freeholders by the League . Mr . Newm-gati : and the agricultural mesulcrs were very wroth at this extension of the power of voting for members of Parliament . The abuses of the Registration system , and the folly of having so many dim-rent kinds of franchise , were also brought out pretty stro « gly-so strongly as to induce tho belief that the League , in taking this course , have sown the seeds of a harvest , which some of its members and supporters would rather not see lipcncd . Indeed , Lord John Russell , on Monday night ,
avowed as much . In his speech on Air . Viluuj- »' s motion for immediate Corn Law repeal , he expressed himself most anxious for an immediate settlement of the question , because a stop would thereby be put to agitation was impossible , lie said ,
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), March 7, 1846, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_07031846/page/4/
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